We cannot pay you jobseeker's allowance... Help!

BlondieMunchkin

Hello everybody! This is my first post and I really need some advice as I am not sure what to do.

I have recently applied to claim jobseeker's allowance following dismissal on the grounds of ill health from my job.

I attended the appointment to start the claim and the adviser had told me it was a contributions based claim as I had worked over the last 2 years. He said it would all be fine, no problems etc.

I have just received a letter from Jobseekers explaining the following....

"We cannot pay you jobseeker's allowance from 17 December 2016.
We cannot pay you because you have not paid, or been credited with, enough Class 1 National Insurance Contributions.
We have used the tax years ending 5 April 2014 and 5 April 2015 to assess your claim.
We may still credit you with Class 1 National Insurance contributions if you continue to attend the Jobcentre"

I am so confused!! I am totally unsure what this means as I have not really had to do this before. Am I going to get anything at all? Is it affected by my home situation?

Here is a little bit of background.... Worked constantly for at least the last 2 years. I didn't have a gap between my two jobs (Got a different job January this year still at the airport). I live with my partner in a private rented flat and my partner actually works for the same company I was dismissed by. They earn £20,220 p.a and work 35+ hours a week, just as I did.

I would really appreciate some help/advice

TELLIT01

At present the 2 tax years used to calculate entitlement are 2013/14 and 2014/15, so it seems you didn't have sufficient National Insurance contributions in those years. From around the 6th Jan 2017 they will start using 14/15 and 15/16 NI contributions for their calculations for Contribution based entitlement. I would suggest contacting you local JobCentre in the New Year to discuss the situation as your entitlement may change.
As your partner works you probably earn too much between you to have an entitlement to Income Related benefit.
I know it's easier said than done, but try not to worry about it over Christmas and New Year as nothing will change during that period.

Diary

If you haven't paid enough NI in the relevant tax years you won't get contribution based jsa. You will not get income based jsa as your girlfriend or boyfriend earns too much.

If you are sure you have paid enough NI in the last 2 tax years, you might be better waiting til the new benefit year and making a new unlinked claim for contributions based jsa as the relevant year will then be 2015 and 2016.

sheramber

So you have worked for 2014/15 and 2015/16.

but the job seekers allowance is based on what NIC you have paid for 2013/14 and 2014/15.

It seems you did not pay sufficient contributions for 2013/14 therefore you are not due contributions based job seekers allowance.

Income related job seekers allowance is assessed on the total household income which is too high for any allowance to be paid.

If you continue to attend the job centre, although you don't get any money , you will be given NIC credits to maintain your national insurance record for future benefits.

[Deleted User]

If you were dismissed on the grounds of ill health are you well enough to be a job seeker or may you need to claim ESA (sick pay), you would need a sick note (now called fit notes) from your GP to claim this.

pebbles88

It may be worth retrying to claim in January after the first Monday.

The related income tax years change.

sammyjammy

pebbles88 wrote: »

It may be worth retrying to claim in January after the first Monday.

The related income tax years change.

As long as the claims dont link, if they have less than 13 weeks before the end of the old claim and the start of the next it would be based on the same tax years not the new ones, best thing is for OP to withdraw the claim already made completely.